Dominion
by Justsayinsupersaiyan
Summary: Salem gives up her original plan, she releases a Grimm plague that wipes out almost the entire population of Remnant. An organization created to combat this threat recruits very familiar people, including a scraggly blonde and a blind redhead. Devoted to destroying the plague, will Jaune succeed in avenging his friends? Or will their deaths be in vain?
1. Chapter 1

The Old And The New

"Debby, activate."

"Welcome, Swift, i'm D.E.B.B.Y, short for-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, i've heard it all before." a muffled voice says to the AI implanted in his face mask. "are my Gen-Pistols operational?" Swift gets up from a shallow puddle in a deep cavern. "Gen-Pistols are in 89% condition, the barrels are slightly damaged and scuffed though." the AI reports while he starts limply walking to a shimmer of light at the far end of the cavern.

A trembling of rocks stops him from going further.

"Debby, seismic activity in the area?!" the injured figure frantically inquires Debby as the trembling grows stronger. "Negative, Sir, there are no signs to suggest that this is the cause of seismic activity." Debby calmly answers. Rocks and debris start falling from the ceiling of the cavity, threatening to collapse and bury the man. Swift starts to run as fast as he can to the exit, but his bruised left leg slows him down.

"Debby, engage booster pack!" he pleadingly commands.

"Booster pack engaged, prepare for flight." The thrusters on his back spews blue flames and launches Swift faster into the light.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" supports of the cave falters and release large sections of debris on the cavern, completely filling it in.

The figure narrowly escapes it's burial after it reaches the exit of the large cavity. "Disengage thrusters!" Swift commands, slowing down his graceful fall into a pile of destroyed concrete and brick. "Oof! Argh damn it! Debby, assess damages and activate Aura boosters!"

Swift wipes some dust off his armor and looks out of his tinted visor and gazes upon an urban wasteland covering up a darkened sunrise.

"Vale has seen better days." he remarks while he slides down the piles of ruined city.

* * *

"Awoooooooooo!" an ear splitting howl erupts from the forest below. Normally Huntsmen would just kill them off without a thought.

Jaune Arc wasn't really a huntsman though.

He thought that an expedition without backup or even telling anyone where he was going to the Emerald Forest was a good training exercise.

Jaune Arc wasn't really the brightest either.

So there he stood, face to face with a pack of Beowolves and only his signature crappy sword and shield. "Calm down, Pyrrha trained you enough to handle a couple of pesky Beowolves, so why worry?" he told himself, knowing full well that he didn't believe in his abilities at all.

The Beowolves stood ferocious and eyed their prey carefully with an expression that just radiated disappointment. "Even Beowolves mock me, how did i even get in to this school?" Jaune thought carefully,"Oh right, i cheated." Then sighed.

The air felt still for a minute until a large claw lunged at the tense blonde. "ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he screams, raising up his shield to block the life-threatening attack. At this point, the rest of the Beowolves jump at the knight to tear him to pieces. The knight understandably runs in the other direction.

"Crap." He thinks to himself, navigating through the woods in the night without a flashlight. The howls of the Grimm getting louder and louder as they continue to close the distance. Jaune cuts through a branch in his path and continues his hopeless chase in the chance that someone will save him. Or someone.

Jaune sees an open area and runs faster, hoping to reach Beacon before the Grimm catch up, but it was too late, they pounce on the weak-willed Huntsman. Until a hail of bullets reduce them to shreds.

"Wha-" Jaune is cut off by a large "Boom!" coming from the distance.

A military officer greets him with his gun's barrel. "Not good." He gulps.

"Are you infected?!" He shouts.

"What do you mean?" Jaune confusingly asks the soldier pointing him down.

"Have you been bit,scratched or otherwise injured?" He restructures his question.

"No." Jaune simply responded. The barrel went down. Both him and Jaune sighed a breath of relief.

"Thank God, i didn't want to have to kill a kid."

"Kill a kid? But why would he need to kill me? I haven't become a traitor, or committed any crimes." Jaune's eyes widened "I did pee in the bushes at Beacon, but that was only because the bathroom was too far away! Oh my Oum Mom's gonna kill me!" Jaune silently panicks.

"Are you okay kid?" The Officer said, bringing him back to reality. "My name is Glanner Demmers, Atlas Military Officer, Lead of Vale Emergency Operations." He lends a hand to Jaune. Jaune, still picking himself back up, figuratively and literally, accepts his help.

"Why did you have to kill me?" Jaune asks the troubled officer.

"There's been a new virus leaked among the population of the city." Glanner turns back and commands his troops.

"What are you all waiting for? The fall of Beacon? get your asses up and do your job!" he commands, rallying the men into order and dispatching them across the area.

"Alright kid, come with me. This is designated as Area Zero, so it isn't safe to talk here." Glanner motioned for Jaune to follow him into a nearby Armored Vehicle.

The inside of the Vehicle was militaristic and gritty, but safe enough to rest in. There were no windows to speak of, and the outside was reinforced with high-grade steel, along with an automated light-artillery turret on the top.

Glanner sat Jaune adjacent to him in the Carrier, and knocks on the plating of the vehicle twice. It whirred to life, and began moving.

**"**Truth is, we've been expecting this eventuality for quite some time. I'm part of Operation Artrix and we were sent to retrieve the huntsmen and huntsmen-in-training from these academies and bring them to Atlas." Glanner offers Jaune a bottle of water and Jaune accepts it, pouring it down his dry throat.

"How did you know i was in-training?" Jaune asks while finishing the rest of the bottle off. Glanner chuckles lightly and reaches for a cigar. "Not everyone carries around armor or a sword. we just had to make sure that you weren't infected."

"That infection thing again, what are you talking about?"

"I'll explain to you later, right now we need to-" Glanner cuts off his sentence, listening to his comms."What! Soldier, full speed to Beacon, ASAP!" he practically shouts his command, making the vehicle go faster and faster.

"What's happening?!" Jaune can barely get out, the speed making it hard to hear.

"Beacon's been attacked!" he loudly replies, making sure that Jaune can hear him.

Even though it was inaudible, it was enough to send Jaune into panic.

Beacon has been attacked, but by who?

* * *

Or by what? The Question stirred in Cinder's mind. The planned Fall was weeks ahead of now, but only hours in and Beacon's erupted into chaos already. But that was not what troubled her so,

It was the Grimm.

The Grimm were unlike anything she had ever seen, infecting and attacking the hunstmen defending themselves. Those who have been attacked by the Grimm through bites slowly turned into the Grimm, continuing the vicious cycle of death.

Cinder would've called it genius, were it not for the grotesque beings shambling towards her.

She flickered with a wisp of flame levitating inches away from her palm, and launched it at the Grimm.

They were set alight, easily burning away from the flames engulfing their rotting corpses. They were weak, sure, but enough of these could wipe out cities if released to the public.

"Salem's plans have changed so late? But why?" She wonders while immolating more huntsmen-turned-monsters in her way to her dorm.

It was no use to hide her abilities now, especially when a single injury or cut could mean certain death. They wouldn't have time to stop her when they were being swarmed by the undead.

Speaking of, she continued to walk through the corridors while ignoring the huntsmen being eaten alive and begging for help. They'd only prove distractions and there'd be nothing to gain from risking herself to save them.

Turning a right into her dorm room shared by her protégés, she discovers no signs of them, only a scroll that has note scribbled hurriedly with "watch me" attached to it.

"What is this about? Where are they?" She picks up the scroll and tears off the note, hoping to find some answers.

"Em, damn it! There are literally zombies in the corridors outside, what the hell are you doing" a familiar voice says in the background, out of sight.

"We need to let Cinder know where we're going, she probably enacted the plan already, we'll let her know where we are so she could meet with us later." Green hair and dark tanned skin covers up most of the screen.

"Cinder, we're retreating to the city. we've assumed that you've started the plan without us early so we're letting you know where you can find us." Bright red eyes stare into the screen with a worried expression.

"We're going to the cafe near the Bullhead docks, on the rooftop." Mercury's face cuts in from the right.

"Now come on let's g-"The screen turns black, then shatters when it's thrown to the hardwood.

"Those imbeciles! They could be killed, or worse, captured!" Cinder's eyes burn with fury.

Her heels nearly break at the force she's putting on them, but she doesn't care, she just cares about escaping this hellhole.

The raven-haired beauty passes destroyed parts of the school, going back into the courtyard and destroying the bodies in her wake, Grimm or not.

Soon she reaches the Bullhead docks, the only way students can get in and out of Beacon. The Bullheads are still intact, but the pilots have turned into Grimm already.

Luckily her experience with Bullheads is quite thorough, but that wasn't the problem.

It was the enormous Grimm humanoid blocking her.

Now enormous might be an overstatement, the Grimm stood at least 9 feet tall, but that didn't break down it's terrifying stature. It's entire face was covered by a thick Grimm bone mask with horn-like protrusions on it's head. It was covered with bone plates and armor. It had spines on it's back and a thin tail ending with a large spike. It's negative aura was terrifying, even to her.

Cinder took a step back as the Grimm took a step forward. It didn't look very powerful to her, but considering he was holding a torn head with grey hair and a pale complexion, she wisely rethought that.

She ignited orbs of fire between her hands and sent it flying to the beast. The beast didn't even flinch when the orbs splashed across it's chest, covering the air around it.

The gigantic monster didn't quite take a liking to the surprise suntan and narrowed it's glowing red eyes at the maiden in front of it.

The ground started shaking. The Grimm raised it's claws and brought them together, making bone spikes erupt from the ground and nearly impale Cinder if she didn't dodge out of the way.

"Bone manipulation? That's impossible, only one other person could do such a th-" Cinder broke her line of thinking when a spike tried to kebab her face, dodging out of the way and firing blasts of flame at the unaffected monster.

The fight continued on for quite a while, both opponents seeming equally matched in both power and durability. When Cinder would gain the upper hand, the Grimm would just shrug off her attacks.

When the Grimm attacks, she would just dodge it.

The fight kept at a stalemate and looked like it would never end, but Cinder knew better.

She would lose.

The Grimm constantly took her attacks and showed no damage to itself, but Cinder had no such advantage.

Being athletic and skilled, she was practically the perfect form of a huntress, but even huntresses had a breaking point.

She numbered everything the monster had against her, and it will soon prove too much. At this point she was running on willpwer and the strive to live.

Fleeing was the only option. But Cinder Fall did not 'flee', it was simply a tactical retreat to reconvene herself and strike the enemy harder and stronger. Though no matter what she told herself, it was the only way.

Holding her hands down, she formed a circular orange vortex under her and fired several balls of fire at the giant Grimm.

It seemed to take it's attention, for it's red gleaming eyes narrowed at her.

Before rushing to attack her.

It had never done that before, simply making bone constructs to widen the distance and keep away from direct engagement.

Cinder smiled weakly, her plan was going nicely. She sped up the vortex while simultaneously attacking it as it got closer, provoking it to rush faster.

"Perfect." She thought as she put her palms together and summoned whatever energy she had left.

The Grimm closed in, moving faster and faster until...

She releases a wave of fire at the beast. It angers it even more, rushing through the flames blindly, trying to reach it's aggressor.

Cinder back flips out of the vortex just as the Grimm steps near it. The vortex starts spinning faster.

The ground explodes below, flinging the Grimm into a bullhead docked nearby.

She takes the chance and runs with all her strength to the nearest functional bullhead before the Grimm gets up again.

Practically jumping on to it, she incinerates the poor Grimmified pilot and takes it's seat. But before the Bullhead could take off to the sky, a sharp thud is heard behind her, shaking the bullhead violently. She looks outside to see a long, white spike stopping her bullhead from flight.

The Grimm locks eyes with her, just as another nearly kebabs her face, impacting the bullhead once again.

Facing impending death, Cinder knew that there was no other option.

She'd have to kill it, or die trying.

* * *

On the rooftop of a small cafe, Emerald and Mercury overlooked the chaos below.

"Looks like it is a zombie apocalypse down there. I guess we should get to repopulating the planet, huh?" an elbow to the ribs showed just how kuch she liked that plan.

"I'm still waiting for a message from Cinder, i don't even know if she got the message we left." Emerald looked at her scroll, clearly distressed.

"You think the mastermind behind the fall of Beacon wouldn't check a damn scroll that has a 'watch me' note on it?" Emerald blushed lightly at the her stupid assumption.

"R-right, stupid question. But i'm still going to wait here for her."

Emerald composing herself and checking her scroll once more.

No messages from Cinder.

"Why do we have to wait for her anyway? Let's just throw her to the wolves." Emerald's eyes hardened at Mercury's suggestion.

"I mean come on Em. Sure i'd join her again if we see her, but this is probably a lost cause. Me and you-"

"You and I." Emerald corrects, irritated.

"Right. What i'm saying is that she's probably dea-"

"She's not DEAD!" She cuts him off again.

Mercury, obviously sensing he touched a nerve, tried to calm her down.

"Come on Em, she's not invincible, and you saw what those things do to people."

"I refuse to believe that she would die in such a way." She crosses her arms under her breasts and looks away from her partner.

"It's been 2 hours, Em! You have to accept that she might not be coming back-" She cuts him off a third time by punching him right in the face.

"Ah! What the hell!" He says, rubbing his stinging cheek.

"You never held any loyalty to her, she and I knew that you would betray us the second you had the chance! You can shut up and leave, I don't have to listen to your crap!" Mercury's eyes widen.

"Holy crap..." he trails off.

"What? Why?" Her rage switches to concern immediately.

"Your eyes... They were burning with fire."

"Wh-What?" she repeats, tears forming in her eyes.

"They were burning at the edges..." Reality hits her hard, making tears stream down her face.

" No no no, i refuse to believe it!" She nearly falls down, but Mercury catches her.

"I'm sorry, Em..." He rubs her back as she breaks down in tears.

It was only one of the countless miseries to fall upon this grim day.

* * *

Salem was not hard to please, not at all, actually. All you had to do was to succeed in your given objective and she'd be satisfied.

But for things to go wrong so much that she had to take it on herself to finish, it wasn't a good sight to see.

Though to be fair, Cinder's mission has been going perfectly, even if he didn't want to admit it. The plans have suddenly changed a slight bit, with the added measure of causing the downfall of most of Remnant through a Grimm virus that infected humans and Faunus.

Not a problem at all.

Watts sipped on his morning coffee, though in the Grimmlands you couldn't tell at all.

Watts joined Salem's faction because she'd given him an outlet to use his genius. The odd job of redirecting political fire out of his way, keeping corrupt officials in government, and occasionally destroying the career of whomever his mistress told him to.

Not all that glamorous really.

But style was not something he would focus on too much, it would be efficiency. He always gave his best to please his Queen.

But even his best would obviously come short if compared to a Kingdom-collapsing bioweapon that had no viable cure. Even thinking about it has made him feel inadequate.

They'd been little things really, Salem sending him out on missions less often, or Salem telling them to go away and leave her be. He of course followed her every word, who would refuse to comply with the Queen of Grimm?

Watts looked around the table. It seemed Hazel has slowly started to catch on to the problem he was wrestling with right now, and Tyrian looked insane as always.

He had to do something about it, she would kill him in time. Why not die a heroic death by alerting the masses of her plans before dying an unfulfilling death? It seemed the best option to take, but being a genius did not mean being reckless.

The time for betrayal was nigh, and time wouldn't be waiting for anyone's mercy now.

"My Queen." Watts stood up and looked at his mistress.

"Yes Watts?"

"I have some work to do back in Atlas, so please forgive my early departure."

"Running away like a little rat? Be careful Doctor, we might have to hunt you down." Tyrian then laughed loudly. He'd underestimated his intelligence, or what was left of it.

"Tyrian!" It quieted the Faunus down, wearing the expression of a kicked puppy.

He excused himself from the room and proceeded to his own personal bullhead.

Watts has managed to make a fake company that exports dust mined in the Grimmlands to the citizens of Mistral, giving them much in the way of income. He'd managed to convince Salem that stealing Lien would only make them look suspicious.

"The things i do for her." he huffed, but she'd probably feed him to the Nevermores if he said that in person.

The flight took more or less 5 hours, nobody noticing a bullhead come from the Grimmlands. He thought it was coincidence or ignorance, over time, it was most likely the latter.

"Ah, Arthur! I didn't expect to meet you here, old friend!" Atlas Council Member Gavin Linderton exclaimed, a close associate of Watts who knew nothing about his real alliance.

"It was quite the surprise for me too, Gavin. My mistress asked me to personally meet with someone in Atlas." He'd disguised himself as the ambassador for the fake dust company and exported to the Atlas Military for cheaper, to strengthen ties between them.

"Oh? Whom might it be?"

"General Ironwood." he deadpanned.

"Ironwood! You say? Well i'll take you to him myself then. He's not busy to my knowledge."

General Ironwood, Headmaster Ironwood, was not busy? It seemed like a miracle, and he didn't want to disturb the poor man's free time, but this was for Remnant.

'And also your pride' his brain happily told him.

If he tried to punch his own brain, it would most definitely cause difficulty, so he refrained.

Either Salem or Ironwood would do that themselves.

They arrived at the door to the General's office. It was a simple thing, yet reinforced and refined with steel plating and complex carvings.

True to his word, the General was doing some small paperwork, but nothing that would take hours to finish.

Originally, Watts wanted to be all mysterious and subtle with the introduction of the virus and the reveal of him as a member of Salem's faction, but he would most likely be arrested before he got to that.

Instead he wanted to be as direct as possible, he didn't care if he was apprehended or executed (both sides would have his head anyway), all that mattered is that he'd listen.

"Hello Ambassador, how have you been?" Ironwood politely asked.

"I have been fine, General, thank you for asking." He sat down before the General would allow him, introductions would need to be cut short.

"If you don't mind, General, i'd like to skip the polite greetings. i have urgent news to share."

"Oh? do tell." Ironwood leans slightly forward, intrigued.

" I don't have much time left, General, but have you heard about a being named Salem?" His expression switched from pleasantry to dead, cold seriousness in a matter of seconds.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Ambassador." He catches Ironwood reaching his left hand to his right pocket. He was understandably nervous, I'd have to make this quick.

"i'm very sure you know what i mean, General. But you need not be afraid of me-" Ironwood snorted. Watts frowned.

"I simply wish to inform you of a slight problem with her." Watts passes a file containing vast information on the new Specter virus, Salem sought to endow them with as much as information as possible. Ironwood's eyes widened the second he opened it.

"How did you manage to get a hold of such information?" He demanded.

"Simple, i used to work with her." A magnum was pointed against him before he could even flinch.

"I said I used to work with her, she has no use of me now."

"Then what do you have to gain from this, redemption?" Watts almost burst out laughing.

"Heavens, no!" He exclaimed. " Redemption would be too far for me to even try to achieve."

"Historical relevance, fame, what is it?" The gun still aimed directly at his face.

"A mix of both really." Watts said honestly.

"Though Salem would kill me before I could ever get the chance to bask in that glory." Salem would inevitably find out about this ordeal one way or another. Either Hazel or Tyrian would be sent to retrieve or kill him, there was no turning back.

"Then hypothetically, if this is true, what do you think i should do about it?' The gun finally pulling away from his face.

"You are the tactical mastermind here, General. Think of your own solution." Watts pushed back his chair and stood up, getting ready to leave.

"You can either listen to me or not, it would not matter to me anyway. But know this, I tried to warn you, General. If you do not believe me, then the lives of Remnant will fall upon your hands." Watts walked towards the door.

"Just let them know, that Arthur B. Watts did not die a traitor to his kingdom." The door closed behind him, leaving Ironwood to his thoughts.

He could only groan.

* * *

Kicking past some debris in his way, Swift made his way through the destroyed city in a breeze.

You'd think that traveling through such terrain would be very dangerous, but constant Grimm migration and his Artrix training made it seem like a cake walk.

Speaking of Artrix, he was sent by them to regroup to a nearby Artrix outpost, presumably with another officer.

"Debby, how far until I reach the entrance to the outpost?" He ran by some ignorant Beowolves, not sending him any way or form.

"You are about 132 meters and counting to the outpost, turn another left when you see a clear path and turn a right when you see a hole in the debris." The bluish two-dimensional woman in his display helpfully informed.

"Alright, nearing entrance." Swift turned a right into the large hole in the debris.

Noticing it was a little deeper than he expected, "Debby, turn on night vision." His display flickered with light and dark greens, showing him a heavily reinforced door with the Artrix logo in the middle.

He knocked twice on the door, releasing a groan when it suddenly slid to the left, exposing the room inside.

It was nothing spectacular, it was made as a safe house where officers could regroup and resupply, and it served that purpose well.

The area was dusty and unclean, the walls featuring several weapon lockers containing ammunition and special Atlas equipment.

Helmets just like his were displayed on racks and incendiaries covered the tables, filled with concentrated burn dust for large amounts of Grimm.

They he particular thing that stood out though, was the other officer sitting cross-legged on a small sofa in the middle of the room.

"Chirper." Swift greeted.

"Jaune." He remarks, turning Swift's face into a scowl. Though neither of them could see each other's faces, Swift knew he was grinning.

"You could drop the codenames, we work together, and the codenames are demeaning." The figure went to take off his mask, revealing exotic, brown skin and brownish red hair. It was Fox Alistair, Former member of Team CFVY.

Most of them have buried the hatchet with their old friends and family, knowing there is no way to bring them back. They've grown close to each other, Spartan and Chirper being close friends he could talk to, Silence being a pain in the ass but always caring about them in her own twisted way, and Priestess acting as a motherly figure to all of them.

It was a new family built on experience and turmoil. Through countless battles looking after one another. It was something he was not determined to lose.

"You mean because yours is the only uncool one?" He took a seat on a couch to the right of Fox.

"Hey! Silence is literally mute, I'm not the only complaining."

"She can't." Swift pointed out.

"If she hears that, she will kill you." That was enough to actually make him quake. The brown bastard noticed and laughed at his distress.

"Enough about that crap, what's our mission about?" Swift asked.

"I think you'd find it quite interesting." He took out a file he stuffed under the sofa and threw it to the blonde.

It was about Beacon. Their objectives were to reduce the number of Grimm there and potentially destroy their nests.

Swift almost recoiled. It had been so long since he had been to Beacon. Come to think of it, he hadn't been there since the 1st Break. Coming back to the resting place of so many friends, teachers and people was terrifying. It wasn't Beacon anymore, that was reduced to rubble. This was an overpopulation of unwelcome graveyard visitors. He'll make sure they can rest at peace. Dying there would be the greatest gift he could get.

He placed the file beside him and walked to a weapon locker on the wall. It was filled with Artrix shield staffs and dust canisters. He picked up a few canisters for his booster pack and put a shield staff on his back.

"I'm ready, let's go." Swift walks outside, into the wasteland as Fox closes the doors behind him.

It took mere minutes to fly their way to the Beacon docks. Most of the Bullheads were destroyed or powered down, but a few dust canisters manger to refuel one of them enough for a round trip to Beacon.

While Fox flew themselves over to the abandoned academy, Swift loaded his Gen-Pistols and checked his booster pack. It was enough for now.

Hundreds of red eyes turned to look at the arriving ship. The doors opened, and hail fire entered the air.

Jaune Arc died at Beacon, Swift Arc replaced him. Cowardice was not an option.

* * *

Jaune Arc could only stare.

His home, where he grew into a better person, was falling to pieces in front of his eyes.

The Grimm were repelled by the emergency response, but the damage was done.

Very few students remained. Those who perished were overwhelmed or surprised by the epidemic.

They taunted their very life by using the bodies made to protect to turn them into their own worst enemy. It was the sickest irony.

Worst of all, those monsters took his friends away from him, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He noticed a Grimm with a familiar rapier stuck in it's chest, to think they even attempted that was enough to send him into tears.

All of his friends, his family, were nothing more than soulless killers.

He'd find a way. A way to bring this to an end, even it takes a million years to finish.

He walks away, leaving that promise to a Grimm with green clothing and a sword impaling his back.

Goodbye, Ren.

* * *

**AN: I got lazy at the end parts, sorry. Maybe I'll fix them in time, but for now I'll leave you with this. Give actual criticism but IF YOU HATE DON'T READ(Jk please leave constructive criticisms). I'm a rookie writer, and this will be updated weekly so please put up with my crappy writing. I'll improve in time. TIA.**


	2. Chapter 2

Fatal Subversion

**AN: Anyone can guess the code names of Silence and Spartan, but Priestess? A bit harder. Anyway, sorry for not staying true to my promise, even if practically no one reads this. School is a fun but soul-sucking thing, that and general procrastination. **

**Criticism is praising my work and not saying a single thing negative about it, those who will will get REPORTED! BTW Swift is the only one who's weapons have changed, the rest have modified Artrix versions of theirs. No ships at all, that's why i didn't include pairings. i don't write romance, too confusing. **

**Lastly I wrote this fic because i have seen a severe lack of Zombie AU fics in RWBY, those that are good and long have unfortunately been discontinued. I will try not to do that, but as school kicks in i may reduce my amount of updates.**

**That's all folks, bye!**

* * *

"Nora, please stop panicking, it's alright. We'll find him later, besides, it's not like he's defenseless." Ren's nose was deep in a book while he tried to calm down his teammate.

The chattering of the teeth only quickened in pace and speed.

"Uh, Renny? That's not me." unconvinced, he put down his book to see Nora sitting at her bedside in her student's outfit, and Pyrrha furiously biting her nails while crunched up on the corner of her bed.

"Oh. My bad." He got up from his bed and walked over to Pyrrha's, sitting down adjacent to her.

"Pyrrha , it's alright. He can handle himself, he's our leader after all."

"And our glorious leader never fails! Well, except for the numerous times we've beaten him." Pyrrha giggled a bit at that, but still looks obviously worried.

"Don't worry so much. You've trained him enough to survive a quick excursion outside Beacon." He rubbed her back and said goodnight, going back to his own bed and said goodnight to Nora too. The day ahead would be grueling, as it was the eve of the dance, and students would be filling the halls by noon. His eyes wavered and faded.

A large boom was heard from outside their room.

The hunters-in-training immediately jumped out of bed and grabbed their weapons. They hurried along to the door and kicked it open. Their eyes widened immensely.

A large black figure covered with white stood in front of a giant hole in the wall. It's red, glowing eyes stared into the souls of NPR and released a terrifying screech from it's maw.

The rest of the team was knocked back into their room, the screeching only became more powerful. Ren tried to fire Stormflower at the dark beast, but it's bullets simply bounced off his thick armor.

"N-N-Nooora! D-Do something!" Ren struggled to get out. Luckily for them, Nora understood, and pulled Magnhild's trigger. The wall behind them blew up into pieces and flung them into the courtyard below.

"Ughhh, damn it!" Ren tried to stand up, but his injuries were too much for him to handle. The Grimm stood menacingly in their dorm room, emitting large amounts of black mist from it's body.

Grunts and noises were heard from the other side of the dark fog. A claw reached out from the smoke, soon several other claws were visible to them.

They stepped out of the black mist, revealing themselves as humanoid Grimm monsters. they walked mindlessly around the destroyed area, some even falling down from the room.

The giant one's eyes narrowed at the students, and so did the Grimm creatures, intently focusing on their prey. Suddenly they charged at the injured Ren, with the ferocity of Beowolves. Pyrrha, still being able to stand, changed her weapon into her signature rifle, gunning down the Grimm humanoids. Nora joined in the fun, and proceeded to fire canisters at the giant Grimm still standing silently.

it wasn't enough to provoke it though, as it simply waved his claw and more Grimm appeared from the mist. Pyrrha, despite being one of the greatest warriors in her league, was slowly being overwhelmed by the shear amount of Grimm that rushed to attack them.

"Nora, get Ren and run as far as you can! I can't hold the line for much long!"

"But what about you? we won't leave you behind!" Nora pleadingly shouted at the redhead.

"There's no there choice, we'll all die if both of you stay!"

"There's no way you can ask us to abandon you! You have to come with us!"

"I'm not asking." Tears welled up in her eyes as she took control of both Magnhild and Stormflower.

"Wait! you can't do this! Pyrrha please!" Nora hopelessly pleaded to her teammate while hanging from her levitating hammer.

Both were launched far way from the battleground. _'They'd be safe, i'll hope for that'_.

She turned back her attention to the army of Grimm in front of her, ready to tear her into pieces.

Milo turns back into it's sword form as it's wielder runs into the forces of darkness. Flowing like air, she flew across the battlefield, cutting down every Grimm in her path.

Outstretched claws reached to slash her, but Akouo stopped them from getting any closer. The spartan swung her her blade through the creatures, decapitating them and knocking them back. Another one managed to breach her defenses, but a kick to the chest ensured that it wouldn't happen. The Grimm were no match for the Mistralian champion, but they weren't the real threat anyway.

It was the ginormous Grimm controlling them.

After cutting down the soulless creatures, Pyrrha readied her sword and shield for the real fight ahead of her. Unimpressed, the Grimm walked toward the Spartan and reached his sharp claw out. Pyrrha fell into a fighting stance, preparing to fight until her last breath.

Until the monster pushed her to the side.

Falling back to the ground, Pyrrha was understandably confused. The Grimm were monsters of darkness who killed anything in their path, but this one simply pushed her away. It must've needed to do something, but what? Pyrrha thought of the scenarios in her head, until she realized.

Ren and Nora. A horrified feminine scream bellowed from the direction she sent them, confirming her beliefs.

Pyrrha was too tired to walk toward the Grimm's direction, but it's plan must've centered around making her too tired to move. despite this, she fired a few shots at the Grimm with no effect, only bouncing off his bony carapace. Picking herself up with Milo, she proceeded to slowly walk near the Grimm. It noticed this, and stretched it's claw out to her in response.

The ground started shaking, and an albino spike erupted from the ground, launching Pyrrha into a wall. Her eyes felt groggy, and her Aura was all but depleted. Nora and Ren would suffer because of her.

Before she completely passed out, she saw a blur of white grow bigger as it came closer to her. The blur then mumbled a bunch of words that she couldn't make out, but she caught one.

Jaune.

* * *

"N-N-No..." Ren looked in disbelief at his oldest friend slowly turning into one of those monsters. She'd been bitten by one the Grimm while protecting Ren. The area of infection was spreading the virus through her body like wildfire, turning her entire arm black.

"I'm sorry Renny..." She kneeled down as the virus spreading farther, causing her great pain. She picked up Stormflower with her not yet infected arm, and held it's barrel to her head. Ren could only watch, too hurt to move and run, or to help her.

But before she could pull the trigger, a spike protruded from the ground behind her and stabbed her hand, releasing the weapon. The virus covered every inch of her skin now, shedding her ginger hair and replacing them with white horns. Her mouth transformed into a grotesque maw, dripping with her own blood. Her cyan energetic eyes covered by glimmering red orbs, facing the horrified Ren. It reached out it's bony claw towards him, only vying for his flesh.

Tears ran down his face, looking at the light of his life, being overtaken by darkness.

He couldn't stand, he couldn't fight, he'd surely die. 'I'm coming soon Nora...' he thought as he closed his eyes, preparing for his inevitable death. It was soon too, were it not for a sword impaling the monster's head before it could reach him.

"Ren, are you okay?" He reached out a hand to his team mate, but Ren didn't grab it. His mind was consumed by grief.

"Nora... She was the monster you killed.."

"W-Wh-What?!" The weight of the situation sets in as Jaune realizes that he unknowingly killed his own best friend.

Tears effortlessly streamed down the knight's face. He never thought Nora would die so horribly, she always wanted to go out guns blazing.

Looking back at the almost catatonic Ren, he was brought back from the depths of his mind to an even darker place. Even still, he'd have to try and save what Nora gave her life for. putting one arm over his friend's neck, sword in the other, he slowly started bringing up the badly injured Ren. He was limp, dangerously so, even broken. With all his strength, Jaune heaved Ren's arm over his back, while holding his chest.

His legs were burning, feeling like they would give in any second, only his willpower held it back. A few steps towards the one place they would be safe, the Artrix brigade.

The Grimm Nora held back were getting substantially nearer, muttering groans of what could be interpreted as pleading.

Soon enough they reached the courtyard where the corpse of Cinder Fall laid. Nobody knew where she came from or any of her family members so she was simply laid to rest between the trees of the area.

Jaune continued forward into the small base the Artrix has constructed with a stationed guard noticed the duo and approached them, taking out an emergency med kit from his hip.

"Jesus, what happened to you both? You look like hell!" the gruff soldier said, pulling out some alcohol and bandages from the kit.

"We were attacked by a wave of humanoid Grimm. They'd be normally easy but the shear number overwhelmed us." Ren weakly explained to the soldier who was bandaging his legs and wounds.

"It's safe here, the Grimm's been cleared out of the area and we have stationed guards everywhere." The guard reassures the duo.

"Can you bring him to a medical tent? i'll keep watch here." the knight asks and receives a nod of understanding.

With a sharp rasp of metal, Crocea Mors' blade is released from it's sheath. The blonde then takes a standard stance as he surveys the area. But it felt like he was hearing something.

A horrifying screech is heard in the distance, knocking Jaune to the ground. It slowly gets louder and nearer, seemingly coming from a peculiar figure walking towards him.

"My...eyes...feel...heavy..." Jaune thinks as his consciousness falters, flopping his body on the grass.

The figure come closer, revealing itself to be a giant humanoid Grimm. The visible red eyes shining under the morning shade. As it steps closer, grotesque appendages erupt from the Grimm's back, slithering near the helpless knight.

"Grimm!" a nearby guard shouts, alerting all of the soldiers to the area. A wave of bullets fly over the unconscious huntsman, pelting the monster repeatedly.

The unwavering giant continued it's unstoppable progression towards the knight, the tentacles wrapping around his body.

"Damn it! More firepower!" A senior officer commanded to the other troops, still launching massive amounts of lead at the target. It seemed like it was indestructible.

Bam! A fiery shot knocks back the Grimm, causing it to drop Jaune's body and stumble down on the stained grass. Bam! Bam! Bam! More shots are fired, this time focused on the Grimm's bony mask.

The monster roars in pain, smoke billowing out from it's cracked mask. It makes a move to stand, but another explosive shot to the kneecap blasts it to the ground.

Perched atop a small hill, was a figure suited in white, wielding an Atlas C.D.S (Concentrated Dust Sniper) Rifle, loading another dust needle into the chamber.

Crack! The impact went, covering the Grimm's shoulder with crystalline ice. The immobilizing hit was enough to embed the monster's arm right into the ground, perfectly positioned for-

A small rocket goes through the side of the Grimm' head, using a short, sharp blade. The Grimm screams out in agony until-

Boom! The small rocket combusts into a colorful dust cloud, taking the Grimm head clean off, and burning it to particles.

The enormous corpse falters and falls down on the grass, deteriorating slowly. The figure removes it's snow white helmet, letting long, similarly colored hair flow.

Winter Schnee, former heiress of the SDC, and now the head of Artrix Vale Operations.

" M-Ms. Schnee! We did not expect that you'd head this retrieval and rescue operation yourself!" Glanner asked, obviously surprised that his superior wasn't handling more serious tasks, such as the assault on Ground Zero.

"The assault is going well, we have not found Patient Zero but we have reduced the number of Specters around the area greatly. I asked to be dismissed from the operation so that I could see the recruits myself. It seems like i've come at a convenient time." She says as she raises the powerful rifle above her head.

Her blue crystalline eyes flicker towards the unconscious Jaune, still passed out from the Grimm's scream.

"Speaking of Recruits, is this boy a candidate for one?" She points the barrel of her rifle to the blonde.

"Yes he is, Miss. We found him outside the borders of Beacon, inside the Emerald Forest." Glanner explained.

"He carries quite primitive weapons, but he seems strong enough." Winter looks upon the knight's face. 'He looks quite promising, he'll be a powerful agent in time' She wondered.

"Miss Schnee, we found another recruit!" An officer shouted from a distance, carrying a red-haired woman in his arms. As he came closer, Winter realized who he was carrying.

"Pyrrha Nikos?" She recognized. 'A promising recruit, quite above her fellow peers. This recruiting drive was easier than I first thought.' "Set her down at a bed, She looks like she's fought a war." She commanded.

"We found her in a field of Specter corpses." the officer huffed, trying to breathe properly. 'That explains it. Not even a huntsman could take on so many Grimm.'

"Glanner, check any updates on the Ground Zero assault." He replied with a stern 'Yes Mam!" and rushed to the intelligence tent.

"Tirden, I want you to-"

"Miss Schnee, they surveyed the entire area, Patient Zero isn't anywhere there!"

* * *

In The Deep dark chambers of Beacon, is Amber's half-living body, floating inside a tube filled with wires and ducts.

A hooded figure approaches the sleeping maiden, and takes out a long, sharp syringe filled with a deep red fluid. The figure stabs the syringe onto the glass. and pushes the mysterious fluid into the liquid immobilizing Amber.

It leaves the syringe on the glass, slipping into the darkness of the chamber. The red fluid quickly spreads through the liquid, turning it into a blood-like color.

convulsions and vibrations shake the tube violently, screams coming from within. It's glass cracking and breaking, spilling the liquid onto the metal floor.

The glass breaks into sharp shards, pouring the liquid everywhere and leaving a limp Amber, hanging from her wires. Bony plates covering up most of her body, tentacles coming from her now black skin.

The figure in the shadows giggles madly. _'The Darkened Maiden is here.'_

* * *

"What! Impossibl-" The courtyard statue explodes into pieces, two giant Grimm hands coming from below. "What is this! Glanner, contact the Artrix brigade immediately, Patient Zero is here!" She takes aim at the beast's arms, continuously firing large blasts of dust. The rest of the armada also point their weapons at the Grimm, unloading large amounts of lead at the arms. Unlike the Giants, Patient Zero was actually being harmed by this assault, backed up by it's monstrous groaning.

The complete arms of the behemoth are unveiled, grabbing at the land around it, trying to raise itself up. It eventually does, showing off what was left of Amber's head, now only a masked face with white, flowing hair.

The Grimm's face is completely unaffected by the volley of fire, most likely due to it's thick bone armor. It raises it's huge fist and slams it on the ground, creating a massive shock wave that repels most of the Artrix troops. it also made hundreds of large, grotesque tentacles emerge from the ground and attack the dazed soldiers.

It was a massive bloodbath, nearly all of the troops being brutally wiped out. The poor men being ripped limb from limb, crushed by the weight of the appendages, or just eaten by the Grimm.

Winter, being the Specialist that she is, wipes the attacking tentacles with ease but fails to save her army from death. She looks upon their mangled and horrified faces, washing a wave of guilt over her.

"If we'd have found out sooner, none of these people had to die."She fell to the ground, completely petrified and frightened. The tentacles approached closer, only being stopped by the rapid gunshots of a familiar weapon.

A black haired teen came out of the base, holding a crutch while pointing Stormflower towards the remaining tentacles in the vicinity.

"I did not realize that there was another recruit for the Artrix here?" She asked, wiping dust from her pale face.

"I was recovering from major injuries in the medical tent, after i heard the commotion and growls i hurriedly went outside to fight. But there was nothing I could do anyway." He applies his Grimm camo semblance to Winter and himself, to the Schnee's surprise.

_'A camo semblance? This could have major applications in Grimm warfare!'_ She briefly imagined, looking at the array of promising recruits they've managed to find in such a short time frame. But again reality bit back when the hordes of Specters and tentacles started approaching them. They simply spurred out of the way, ignoring the terrified humans that they could so easily kill. Though if they could not sense the duo, why were they moving forward?

The realization dawned on Ren first, as once Winter and him were outside the vicinity of the Grimm, he ran as best he could to the medical tent. 'The blonde and Pyrrha! They were still inside!' She panicked. Winter tried to get up and follow after the recruit, though she was already being slow surrounded by the Specters.

_'May you three reach safety. I'll try you find you then.'_ She swung her saber out the sheath and into a Specter's head. A large glyph was conjured beside her, and a large blue claw reached out. She fight for the ones left living.

* * *

_'I have to reach them! I won't let myself be the last member of my team today!'_ Ren told himself while running as fast as he could even with the handicap received from being flung into a nearby tree at about ninety miles an hour. Frankly, it was a bit of a miracle that he had aura to spare.

Aura that he was using right now, to evade the gruesome Grimm that he wafted through with no care. he lost sight of the medical tents because of the black mob that was occupying the base's area. He couldn't follow them since that would mean that they'd arrive to Jaune and Pyrrha first.

He previously left them with a couple of barricades set up on the front of the tent, but the sharp claws and strength of the Grimm would go through that fast. as he turned a corner to the inner areas of the base where crucial supplies, intel and injured were, he started wondering about the huge diversity of the Grimm.

They weren't originally mindless humanoid monsters, but a virus. An extremely potent virus that could wipe out humanity in less than a year without intervention. Normal Grimm were your classic monsters, seemingly mindless and brutal, but something as calculated as this would mean that they weren't just evolving, they were being controlled and created by something. That something should be powerful enough to not only control the Grimm, but to drastically shape it's form into something far more dangerous can make even Ozpin shudder.

What further solidified this was their unusually efficient tracking abilities, considering the medical tent was kilometers away from the base's entrance, as to safeguard those who could not protect themselves. That reason is also why it took so long for him to arrive to the tragedy.

Now he was far ahead of the Grimm, and the tent was only a few hundred meters away. He took out Stormflower as guards were visible, showing to them that he was not infected.

Thankfully, the rest of the armada who stayed inside the camp fled to it's farthest end, being protected by the remaining soldiers who were not sent out to destroy Patient Zero. Behind those lines were medics, support and specialists sent out for intelligence gathering and observation. No survivors to be found though, the absence of colorful clothing and advanced weaponry was clear.

the only survivors being deep inside the medical tent, his only friends left. He was accompanied by a guard and a doctor to check in on their health. They looked fine, but there was no way he could be sure.

"Both received light bruising and cuts, though this red haired one passed out from a concussion and exhaustion." The doctor diagnosed, writing down information on the patients.

"The boy was knocked out by what i assume is a loud shriek, it has temporarily ruptured his eardrums but will recover in time." 'that was no problem.' Ren thought 'He was always hard at listening, inside and outside of classes.' he joked to no one in particular, knowing that that kind of light-hearted teasing will never be present among them ever again, assuming they even survive.

"You're welcome to stay beside them if you'd like, i have other patients i need to attend to." The doctor waked away, leaving Team JPR behind. He knew he couldn't stay with them, the horde was coming any minute now and the guards would need as much help as they can get in repelling them. He loaded Stormflower and gathered with the guards. They all knew this would be their last stand against the Grimm.

They'd make sure it would be.

* * *

Flickering lights lit the damp and dark building, due to clouds covering the sun entirely, fitting for the darkest day in Vale. Crushed vehicles, ruptured roads, and crooked lamplights accompanied by the suffering sounds of the Specters. Just what the doctor diagnosed. Or what he diagnosed.

Arthur Watts, in defiance of everything in existence, still was not dead. But that did not mean he was alive.

If the Grimm arm slowly infecting the rest of his body was any indication.

They obviously found him, it was simply a constant that would remain no matter what he used to stall them. But a bit tardier than expected, Salem must've been getting sloppy. An injection half filled with black goo lay beside his godforsaken arm. It wasn't spreading quickly at all, probably to increase agony. She might be getting sloppy, but she's still if not more brutal.

A grueling groan escapes his mouth when the dark veins crawled deeper into his shoulder, like twisted vines sucking him of power. Aura was getting lower by the second, quickening his death, alas that is all that he could do to stop his pain. His uninfected limbs chained to the cement floor with metal cuffs.

He's resorted to screaming at the top of his lungs for a couple minutes, and it seemed to attract the mindless freaks' attention. Groans were getting louder by the second, creaking boards pressing down on the still usable staircase.

Finally a Specter shambled to his helpless body, mouth dripping with blood from previous victims. 'Just a bite. He thought.' He closed his eyes and slump on the floor.

A gunshot tore. A frightening roar. His other arm getting sore. Another injection bore. Shot from a nearby store. His agony added more.

Now the virus he couldn't control.

* * *

Another bloodbath. Another massacre.

He would not allow it. Even if the cards were stacked heavily against them. Most of the guards already getting overwhelmed, and some already dead. The ammo was dwindling, and the negativity from the insides of the base, bringing even more Grimm.

Multiple shots pierced the Specter crowd, Stormflower streaming it's load into more of them. Two got close, two now died of stabbed in the head. A kick pushed some of them back, creating a small domino effect, a temporary victory.

"Everyone! retreat and prepare the barricades!" A sudden command, yet all of them understood. A great advantage to the Grimm, but a greater one to them. It invoked some hope in the troops, and even to him.

A standard Phalanx formation, upgraded with dust weapons and ordnance. They were quickly beating back the threat, with the help of double lined riot shields. "On my command, we push the enemy back as far as we can!" another order from the highest ranked, rallying the troops with vigor.

"Three, two, one, GO!" With a united battle cry, the troops rushed with all their might, knocking the Specters out of balance. That moment was used it to it's fullest, slaughtering the still dazed moving corpses and cutting their numbers in half.

It was no use.

Hundreds more were fast approaching, summoned by Patient Zero. They leaped at the shield wall like rabid dogs, knocking the defense down immediately, feasting on the soldier's flesh. There was no more hope, negativity flowed freely, leading even more Grimm to them.

He fought as hard as he could, though there was no way he could do anything to stop this. But unless...

" Everyone, hold hands now!" Everyone was visibly confused, some even chuckling. "Now!" he emphasized harder, making all of them grab their hands in fear. It was a longshot, but he'd have nothing to lose anyway. He grabbed hands with the commander.

"Don't let go!" Black and grey spread like lightning throughout the armada, turning every single one of them monotone in color. Argh! The immense pain, it burned his insides with hellfire.

"I'm not gonna let anyone of them die!" He bit back the pain, and held on with the strongest of will.

The horde just seemed clueless to the near two hundred people just right in front of them. everyone sighed in relief, but were still confused as to who did this.

"Damn kid..." The commander looked to the barely standing Ren, blood dripping from his lips. He couldn't do anything to stop him, because if he did, all of them would die.

His soul was fleeting quickly, his semblance feeding from the life force that kept him alive._ 'I'll hold on, i'll hold...ON!'_ He has to be conscious, he has to be alive! For the people, for his team, for him.

Soul energy was a lot more potent than it's shadow called Aura, albeit this is like using up a hundred Auras at once. No more. He couldn't do it

A final scream. A final breath. A final hope.

An explosion destroys a major amount of the Specters and more rain down from the sky. A giant beam of concentrated dust burns through Patient Zero's head. Bullets take care of everything else.

"Thank...You..." Ren offers a wordless gratitude to the Atlas reinforcements._ 'Jaune, Pyrrha you can finish this battle. I've merely given you the way. Live if you cannot. Don't let my life be in vain, along with the others. I'll meet you on the other side.'_ Ren's body falls lifeless, caught by the commander of the armada.

"Recruit Lie Ren is considered terminated." Glanner reports.

* * *

"Are you done? You've been looking at that sword for about an hour." Swift's eyes break away from the stone and sees Chirper sitting on a bunch of broken crates.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he reprimanded.

"I was busy with actually doing my job." the smirking dick shot back.

"I was just reminiscing the past. I know i vowed never not to, but it's impossible to look away from a placed covered with that." He grabs the handle of the blade and pulls it out of the ground, followed by the sarcastic applause of his partner.

The blade itself was rusty and cracked, dirt still sticking to the edge. If his dad was still alive, he'd be horrified to see the condition Crocea Mors is now. The handle was unkempt and ripped, also very dirty. Really it was just practically unusable. But It still served a purpose though, a purpose that still is unresolved.

A promise to a friend.

* * *

"I'm sorry kid, i really am." Glanner stood by Jaune facing the impromptu grave, he decided that Ren would want to be buried at his true home.

"He died a hero. Now don't let his actions be wasted." Glanner left Jaune alone, letting them get a bit of time together. He grabs Stormflower and leaves Crocea Mors embedded into his chest. _'Once i'm strong enough, i'll come back for that, so hold on to it for m_e_.' _Jaune walks away, never looking back.

He walks up to Winter Schnee, still recovering from the fight she had with a a couple hundred Grimm. She notices his presence and he raises Stormflower.

"Is there anyway to upgrade these?"

* * *

"I'm finally strong enough, Ren. You'll find justice." He once again walks away from his former friend, as Fox follows.

"I'll meet you on the other side."

If you listened carefully, You might've heard a faint_ 'Not yet'_

* * *

**AN: Oh God was this a hiatus. I wrote that opening AN weeks ago and only just finished this now. Thank god for being bored. Expect the next in a week, or two if i'm being lazy or busy, or both. Again, my fanfiction is immaculate and i will make my dad Jeff Bezos kick you if you insult me. **


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